Chapters One-Six
Question: what is the significance of the rose bush outside the prison door?
Answer: the rose bush symbolize how something or someone can seem so sweet or right but can condemn you and lead you down the wrong path.
Question:what is Hester's first action in the novel and what does it reveal about her character? describe her determiner as she emerges from the prison door.
Answer: she shows no fear of the towns people she even smiles. showing she confident in her self and shows no regret.
Question: describe the man standing next to the Indian during hesters punishment. what signal passes between them? what emotional effect does this have on hester?
Answer: he appears to be new to the town, not from there. they share eye contact,and theirs obviously some type secret between the two.
Question:why does hester say the scarlet letter can never be removed from her chest?
Answer: because she would always have to live with he sin, and she will never be accepted by the community again. and even if she did speak the name of who it was their would be controversy, and obvious denial drawing lire next to he name as well.
Question: what argument does dimmesdale use to try to convince hester to name her "fellow-sinner"? how does hester and her child respond?
Answer: he tells her she can take the "a" off her breast. as he and the priest speak the child reaches her arms out to him. hester refuses to give the name of her "fellow sinner", claiming she wants no one to go through what she in enduring.
Question: what does chillingworth mean when he say to Hester, "we have wronged each other"?
Answer: hes explaining how he has wronged her by not following her with the colonies, and thinking he can keep her happy, and she's in the wrong by committing adultery with another man.
Question: where dose hester live after leaving the prison? whats the significance about this location?
Answer: hester lives in the outskirts of town. in an old abandon cabin.
Question: what new and special power does the scarlet letter seem to give hester? what is hesters reaction?
Answer: Hester is horrified at the fact that she feels that it gives her a "sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in others hearts".
Question: how does the narrator account for pearls wild and untamed character?
Answer: pearl is called an devil child. she is looked at as in punishment for her mothers sin.
Chapters seven-twelve
Question: Describe the construction an furnishings of the governor's mansion. what does it reveal about puritan culture?
Answer: the governor's mansion has drapery and king like furnishings. this shows how the "fathers" are looked at as royalty.
Question: what reason does hester give for her need to help pearl? whop supports her plea and why?
Answer: she's the only thing keeping her alive and sane through this. she also say she's teaching pearl through her punishment.
Question: how does chillingworth make a place for himself in the boston society? why are we as readers suspicious of his professional and social motivations? why does this suspicion seem to be absent from the narrator's tone?
Answer: chillingworth portrays a doctor within the town. he takes on the job to take care of dimmsdale, however many people start to think he was sent from the devil to kill dimmsdale; after they see he dimmsdale getting worse. the narrator does not see this because the narrator is pearl, and she was too young to remember or think of something like that at the time.
Question: what biblical stories are portrayed in the decorations of dimmesdale's room? what themes or issues are suggested by these stories?
Answer: the biblical story of King David, Bathseba, and Nathan are shown in the room of dimmsdale. this is the story where adultery was committed by the king and bathseba. this relates to rev. dimmesdale and hester.
Question: what important discovery does chillingworth makes while chillingworth is sleeping? how does the narrator describe chillingworth's joy and why is it this description meaningful?
Answer: while dimmesdale is sleep chillings worth discovers an branded "a" on his chest. chillingworth's smiles because he is now sure that he has found the man who has "wronged him and his wife hester". this is meaningful because now he can really start his revenge.
Question: why does dimmesdale go to stand on the scaffold?
Answer: dimmsdale goes to the scaffold because he was feeling bad and wanted to relieve or reveal himself of his sin.
Question: what question does pearl ask dimmsdale? what is his answer? why is this interaction significant?
Answer: pearl asks dimmsdale if he will stand on the scaffold with them in the morning. he tells her someday but not not today. this is significant because pearl runs away and wipes the kiss he gave her on the forehead ;off.
Question: what "sign" appears in the sky? how is it described? what two interpretations are offered by which characters?
Answer: in the sky appears to be an "A". to hester this is a symbol of why her, dimmsdsle and pearl cant be together as a family. to some members of the community they believe it is a for angel, sent by the govern.
Chapters thirteen - twenty
Question: how has Hester's position in the community changed? how is this linked to any change in the townspeople's perception of the scarlet letter's symbolism? explain the narrator's comment that "the scarlet letter has not done it's office."
Answer: hester's position has changed in the community, because she feeds the poor, and nurse the ill. it's said that "the scarlet letter has not done it's office" , because people do not look at her negativity.
Question:during this conversation with hester, what opion of dimmsdale's character does chillingsworth offer? why does he refuse to leave him alone? why does he insist that dimmsdale has "incressed his debt"?
Answer: chillingsworth doesn't offer to stop because he say he has wronged them both.
Question: what questions does pearl repeat throughout chapters 15 and 16? what do these questions, suggest about pearl and about her relationship with her mother?
Answer:
Question: why does Hester reveal the truth of chilingsworth's identity? how does dimmsdale react? what is your reaction to his reaction?
Answer: Hester reveals chillingsworths identity because she see he is getting worse and she has feelings for him. dimmsdal starts to blame him for his pain, then takes it back and calls chillingsworth the true sinner. i feel that he was more upset that the woman he loves husband, and who he thought to be his friend and caregiver. knew and was responsible for his life.
Question: In what way does each need the other?
Answer: hester need dimmsdale for comfort and a relationship with pearl. dimmsdale need hester to escape the town due to the fear of chillingsworth being able to reveal his secret.
Question: in the second paragraph of chapter 18, the narrator uses the phrases " a moral wilderness." what is this intended to describe?
Answer:
Question: why is pearl unable to share her mother's joy over the scarlet letters removal? why does she insist that Hester puts the scarlet letter on again? why does she reject dimmsdale's kiss?
Answer: she has never seen her mother so excited. Hester and "the black man" are jumping and happy, and her mother looks different,due to the missing "a" on her chest and her hair is down, this confuses her therefor scarring her.
Question: what four temptations does dimmsdale face on the way home? what does dimmsdale assume is the source of these temptations? what alternate explanations does the narrator offer? what further explanations for dimmsdale's "temptation" might be apparent to a modern reader?
Answer: dimmsdale is encountered by many people on his way home. he can not keep his mouth shut he is tempted to tell those he come in contact with.
Chapters twenty one- twenty four
Question: what bad news does hester recieve from the ship's captin? how might this news suggest an impending tragedy to the reader?
Answer: she learns that chillingsworth is going with her and pearl. this is bad because she knows dimmsdale will not be going with them. insted her husband will be, whom she already admitted to hatting.
Question: how has dimmsdale's apperance changed? in what way does he appear separate from the crowd and how does this effect hester?
Answeer: dimmsdale appears to be ill. Hester beleives he is not coming with her and pearl. i think she believes chillingworth has done something to him.
Question: how does hawthorn further develop the symbolic importance of the scaffold during dimmsdale's sermon?
Answer: this sermon is important because he invites hester and pearl up, as he did at night before, this was the time he told pearl one day he would stand with them, and now he is.
Question: describe the characters reactions to dimmsdales confession? how is each on changed by this confession?
Answer: the people start to rethink their actions and judgement of hester. some feel that dimmsdale and hester should both be punished.
Question: what is dimmsdale's last words?
Answer: he tells her all their suffering was necessary, for it served God's purpose. this is signifigant because he's saying this was gods plan, and that it was ment to happen.